Rep. Gbajabiamila pledges loyalty to Speaker Dogara

Speaker House of Representatives , Yakubu Dogara (right) being congratulated by his challenger ,Femi Gbajabiamila during the inauguration of the 8th National Assembly in Abuja PHOTO: Ladidi Lucy Elukpo.

The Former House of Representatives Minority Leader, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, on Thursday promised to work with the new Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, to deliver on campaign promises.

Gbajabiamila said this while addressing newsmen in Abuja after an emergency meeting by the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

It would be recalled that Gbajabiamila won the straw poll the APC organised to present a unified candidate for the speakership position but was defeated by Dogara who insisted on a contest.

According to him, the loyalty will remain strong as long as party programmes are pursued to ignite the needed change.

“We will work with the leadership of the house and with the speaker for as long as the party’s programmes are properly articulated and pursued on the floor of the house.

“He is an APC member but not the speaker of the APC but of the House of Representatives of the country. So we will work with him and support him,’’ he said.

According to him, the party is going to remain strong and united so that we can deliver the deliverables and the programme of the party through the house.’’

On whether the party would sanction some of the lawmakers that defied its instruction in both the senate and the house, he said: “all I know is that in every association there must be discipline’’.

“Whatever the party decides to do that’s for the party; it’s not for me to speak about it,’’ he said.

In another interview, Rep Mohammed Monguno, who won the straw poll organised by the party for Deputy Speaker, said the situation in the lower chamber was a reality the party must rise to face.

“As it is now, that is the reality on the ground and we have to deal with it.

“As loyal party members, we will not take any step that is going to affect the interest, peace, order and good governance of this country.

“The emergence of the leadership of the National Assembly is a reality on ground as far as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is concerned,’’ he said.

Monguno said the party had summoned them and urged them to continue to support the government so that the people would enjoy dividends of democracy.

He said: “They summoned us to support the government so that the lofty aims and objectives for which the Nigerian people supported the APC to form government is achieved to the fullest”.